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Pentagon to send nearly 600 more U.S. troops to Iraq

Xinhua, September 29, 2016 Adjust font size:

Nearly 600 more U.S. troops will be dispatched to Iraq in coming weeks to reinforce Iraqi government forces to take back the city of Mosul from the extreme Islam State (the IS), Pentagon announced Wednesday.

Currently there are some 4,647 U.S. soldiers authorized to deploy in Iraq. The additional forces will enhance the authorized level to about 5,200.

These troops will not spearhead the attack, said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook. Instead, they will provide logistics support, training and advice for the Iraqi forces.

The Iraqi governmental forces also got Apache attack helicopters and a HIMARS rocket system. Large amounts of funding were sent to the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, local media reported, quoting Pentagon sources as saying that an offensive in Mosul might begin in October.

Earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met privately with U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, seeking for more logistics support from Pentagon. Enditem